Anything for Her(39)

“I do.” Nolan turned the key in the ignition and the engine roared to life. “Let’s plan to get that hoop up this weekend.”

He’d ordered one online and expected it to arrive before the end of the week. He sometimes had to remind himself to involve Sean in his everyday repairs and projects, but because he persisted he could already see an improvement in his foster son’s competency and confidence.

Too bad he wasn’t as enthusiastic about cooking, despite his vast appetite, Nolan thought drily.

“Are you going out this week?” Sean asked, ultra-casually.

Nolan cast him a glance. “Don’t know.”

They got nearly home before Sean cleared his throat. “I guess Allie is mad at me.”

Nolan tried to read the tone. Shame? Repentance? Secret glee?

“I think she understood,” he said noncommittally.

“Is she mad at you?” the boy asked, in a smaller voice.

Was this one definitely contrite, or hopeful?

Nolan put on the turn signal even though there was no other traffic this time of night on the country road. “I guess she was,” he agreed.

“Oh.”

They pulled up front of the house. Nolan locked the pickup and started for the house, Sean trailing him. Nolan stopped and waited; whenever the boy lagged behind that way, Nolan always pictured him with his last foster dad.

They walked the last few feet side by side, but Sean balked at the foot of the porch steps. “Did I wreck things?”

Nolan hesitated, picking over his possible responses before settling on one. “Did you? No. Did we? It was a close thing. But don’t try to take all the responsibility, Sean. I shouldn’t have invited her.”

“I don’t even know why I acted that way,” he mumbled.

Nolan smiled and clapped him on the back. “Sure you do. But it’s nothing to brood about, all right?”

“Maybe it would be okay if we did something with her this Sunday.”

Nolan raised an eyebrow. Well, well. Did he mean it?

“We’ll see,” he temporized, unlocking the door. Cassie exploded through it in a frenzy of body-wriggling delight. “Now go on, give her some time outside before you start getting ready for bed.”

The happy dog diverted him from his grumbles. Nolan was smiling as he went to the kitchen to set up the coffeemaker.

He wondered what Allie would say if he invited her someplace this Sunday in company with Sean. Good idea, or bad?

* * *

ALLIE HAD ALREADY spent an obscene amount of money by the time she and her mother took a break for lunch at the Grill in the flagship Nordstrom store. She was glad to plunk down her bags and peruse the menu.

Once they ordered, a honey lime chicken ciabatta for her and halibut with fresh market veggies for her mother, Allie took a sip of iced tea. “You haven’t bought much yet.”

Mom made a face. “I think it’s too hot today to get excited about cold-weather clothes.”

“You mean, we have to do this all over again a month from now?”

Her mother laughed. “That’s such a hardship?”

No, the hardship was having had to say “no” to Nolan, who had taken it in good part but sounded disappointed. Surprised, too. Common feminine wisdom would suggest that she needed to say no to him occasionally. Only...she missed him.

“Of course not. You probably have friends you could go with, too.”

“You know you’re always my first choice,” her mother said comfortably.

Mom had always been Allie’s, too. She’d never seen anything wrong with being best friends with her mother. In fact, she’d believed she was lucky. Only lately had she begun to wonder.

“I’ve been thinking,” she said. “About...oh, when I was little, I guess.”

Only the slight deepening of some lines on her mother’s face suggested this wasn’t a welcome subject. “What have you been thinking?”

“I told you I went with Nolan and Sean to pick out a dog last weekend, right? That got me to remembering Lady.”

Mom’s expression eased at that. “I don’t know what possessed us to choose a beagle when we had such a small yard. We should have gotten a tiny dog. Or a lazy one.”

“Dad used to get so mad when she disappeared.”

They both laughed, remembering the way he’d fumed to hide his worry. The whole family would spread out, walking city blocks calling Lady’s name. She always seemed surprised when one of them appeared so far from home.